Three Tricks To Falling In Love
by awesomesen
Summary: ...For about a week after they became friends, Paine fancied that she might fall in love with Gippal. [Not actually Paine x Gippal. One Shot.]


_ ...I wrote this a few months ago, but forgot to post it here. Paine and Gippal seem like they'd have a wonderfully retarded friendship. She's totally his bossy older sister, you know? (laugh) The couple has its appeal, but feels like incest. (laugh) But I love it anyway...!_

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For about a week after they became friends, Paine fancied that she might fall in love with Gippal. And why not? He was the first friend she had made here, in the Crimson Squad, the only one to reach out to the Recorder with more than just a hello or a curt order. He was good looking, friendly, and fun. And he was Al Bhed, which was just a little—dangerous. Although Paine had never met anyone less threatening in her life. Even that Baralai, with his delicate (frankly _pretty_) features, was easier to take seriously. 

The other two of her assignments were nice enough, with more on the enough than the nice—Baralai was distantly polite, more interested in professionalism than breaking the never enforced rule of "don't speak to the one with the camera." Nooj was more curt and less friendly, but he didn't stare Paine away when she tried to talk, and that was frankly a lot better than how he treated some of the _other_ candidates for the Crimson Squad, Gippal included. But Gippal had the first evening plopped himself down beside her and began a conversation as if they had been friends for years. The next morning, he had waved energetically across the camp at her as she left the Recorder's tent.

Of course, as the only Al Bhed, he was probably feeling a little friendless himself. He had lied about his age to be accepted, he had admitted, and that was even without the Al Bhed thing. Paine was one of only three female Recorders, and the Squad candidates themselves tended to overlook her entirely. It seemed that she and Gippal were two of a kind, young and on the slight outside. So yes, Paine had tried to fall in love with him for a week or so.

It didn't work. She tried everything she could. When she saw him, she'd think that he had nice skin--but that wasn't true, it was tough from a life in the desert. He had nice hair—or he would if he didn't insist on spiking it straight up. Eyes—well, eye? The green was nice, but the expression in them tended to be a little too amused, a little too cocky. Height? He was average sized, even a little shorter due to his age. And on and on. Paine suspected that you weren't supposed to notice such things when you were in love, or at least not in such automatically critical terms.

She tried daydreaming. Paine had never been one for daydreaming, certainly not about crushes, but she tried her best. She'd imagine dates—in them, Gippal would make her pay the bill—she imagined talking (hadn't he told her a really funny and sort of inappropriate joke just last night, actually?)--she tried to imagine more, kissing and touching and that sort of thing... and drew a blank. Imagining clearly wasn't going to help.

Paine tried admiring him, but ended up noticing only how silly he was. She tried flirting with him, and he cleared his throat and asked her if she was feeling ill. Paine had gotten offended by that--what, she wasn't good enough for him? —but when the event threatened to turn into an argument, she just let it drop. She just didn't care enough what he thought of her, Paine realized. And then: That's not a sign of being in love at all, is it.

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The next day, she pointed out to him that he was holding a practice sword wrong. "It's not a shovel," she said boredly, fiddling slightly with the strap of her Sphere Recorder. He rolled his eye exaggeratedly. 

"Whatever you say, Paine-sensei."

"What did you just call me?" Gippal had given her several nicknames over the weeks, but "teacher" was a first.

He tossed the wooden sword aside unaffectedly and flopped down on the sand beside her. Baralai gave them a look—he still hadn't loosened up, a stickler for rules, but he was starting to get over his urge to mother them both into action when they slacked—but turned back to his conversation with Nooj. Gippal watched his teammates blankly.

"I think that one," he said finally, gesturing towards Nooj, "fancies you."

Paine gave Gippal, and then Nooj, a questioning look. "You're kidding."

"He's nicer to you than me, which isn't really special, but he likes you better than Yevon over there," Gippal said, nodding over at Baralai. He gave Paine a careful look. "I hope you don't date him."

"And why's that?" Paine asked, slightly distracted by the idea of the famous Crusader liking her, romantically or not.

Gippal sighed dramatically. "Man, can you blame me? Who'd want a guy like that for a brother-in-law?"

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Paine gave up on falling in love with Gippal that very day.

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End file.
